The Spectacular Now

Synopses & Reviews

Publisher Comments:

Up until senior year, Greg has maintained total social invisibility. He only has one friend, Earl, and together they spend their time&#8212;when not playing video games and avoiding Earls terrifying brothers&#8212; making movies, their own versions of Coppola and Herzog cult classics. Greg would be the first one to tell you his movies are f*@$ing terrible, but he and Earl dont make them for other people. Until Rachel.

Rachel has leukemia, and Gregs mom gets the genius idea that Greg should befriend her. Against his better judgment and despite his extreme awkwardness, he does. When Rachel decides to stop treatment, Greg and Earl must abandon invisibility and make a stand. Its a hilarious, outrageous, and truthful look at death and high school by a prodigiously talented debut author.

Praise for Me and Earl and the Dying Girl

STARRED REVIEW

“One need only look at the chapter titles (“Lets Just Get This Embarrassing Chapter Out of the Way”) to know that this is one funny book.”

-Booklist, starred review

STARRED REVIEW

“A frequently hysterical confessional...Debut novelist Andrews succeeds brilliantly in painting a portrait of a kid whose responses to emotional duress are entirely believable and sympathetic, however fiercely he professes his essential crappiness as a human being. Though this novel begs inevitable thematic comparisons to John Green's The Fault in Our Stars (2011), it stands on its own in inventiveness, humor and heart.”

-Kirkus Reviews, starred review

“It is sure to be popular with many boys, including reluctant readers, and will not require much selling on the part of the librarian.”

-VOYA

"Mr. Andrews' often hilarious teen dialogue is utterly convincing, and his characters are compelling.Greg's random sense of humor, terrible self-esteem and general lack of self-awareness all ring true. Like many YA authors, Mr. Andrews blends humor and pathos with true skill, but he steers clear of tricky resolutions and overt life lessons, favoring incremental understanding and growth."

Synopsis:

In this emotionally powerful, funny debut, Cricket Cherpin needs to figure out what to do with his life before he turns eighteen. But life sucks&#8212;so why not just give up?

Synopsis:

Irreverent, foulmouthed seventeen-year-old Cricket is the oldest ward in a Catholic boys home in Maine&#8212;and his life sucks. With prospects for the future that range from professional fighter to professional drug dealer, he seems doomed to a life of “criminal rapscallinity.” In fact, things look so bleak that Cricket cant help but wonder if his best option is one final cliff dive into the great unknown. But then Wynona Bidaban steps into his world, and Cricket slowly realizes that maybe, just maybe, life doesnt totally suck.

About the Author

Tim Tharp lives in Oklahoma, where he teaches at Rose State College. He is also the author of the YA novel Knights of the Hill Country, an ALA-YALSA Best Book for Young Adults. He lives in Midwest City, Oklahoma.

What Our Readers Are Saying

Average customer rating based on 1 comment:

KTReads, January 19, 2015 (view all comments by KTReads)
This book was very fast paced and easy to read. The lead character Sutter was very likable and even a little relatable. He came off as that guy in school that almost everyone loved. But he could also have his dark moods and secrets. Sutter was a known drunk and everyone in the school loved him for it because he was the life of the party. But in reality Sutter was a drunk so he would not have to face his problems. Until he meets Aimee and everything changes. This a very good book and I recommend it.

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"Synopsis"
by Firebrand,
In this emotionally powerful, funny debut, Cricket Cherpin needs to figure out what to do with his life before he turns eighteen. But life sucks&#8212;so why not just give up?

"Synopsis"
by Firebrand,

Irreverent, foulmouthed seventeen-year-old Cricket is the oldest ward in a Catholic boys home in Maine&#8212;and his life sucks. With prospects for the future that range from professional fighter to professional drug dealer, he seems doomed to a life of “criminal rapscallinity.” In fact, things look so bleak that Cricket cant help but wonder if his best option is one final cliff dive into the great unknown. But then Wynona Bidaban steps into his world, and Cricket slowly realizes that maybe, just maybe, life doesnt totally suck.

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